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May 2024 |
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Adult Services Notes |
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Library of Virginia Training |
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Resources for Answering Difficult Patron Questions
Medicare 101 for Library Staff |
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Serving users with legal, medical, and consumer finance questions can be a challenge for many reasons. Library staff are not, generally, lawyers, doctors, or financial advisors, and these types of questions can often get complex quickly. There are some great resources out there from specialists in these areas that can help library staff and patrons in a variety of ways. Additionally, these topic areas offer opportunities to develop valuable, patron-centered library programming.
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Our spring online training series continues in May with Sharon Graham, Regional Administrator in the Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who will review the Medicare resources that are available to you for your senior library users that can help them to learn about, and navigate, the Medicare health care system. Resources include information on enrolling, coverage, coordination of benefits, Medigap, and preventive services.
All the programs will be recorded and shared in the LVA Niche Academy. |
| Dates, Descriptions, & Registration Links |
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News from Library Development & Networking
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JobNow Career Credentialing Resources
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Do you have users looking for career and credentialing information, but don't know where to start? JobNow from Brainfuse, part of the Find It VA collection, has you covered.
Access JobNow from your library's website and go to Skill Surfer > Career Prep and Job Resources. There you will find Preparation Guides that include sample interview questions and resumes, Career Information, General Skills lessons, and Study Guides and Practice tests for credentialing and certification.
These resources cover over 140 career and vocation paths, including nursing, teaching, military (including ASVAB prep), building trades like electrician, plumber, welder, and much more.
No longer worry that you don't have a copy of practice test books for careers checked in, as JobNow is available 24/7 both remotely and in the library. |
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In addition to the great career and credentialling resources, don't forget that JobNow offers these other free tools:
Live résumé and interview coaching from 2-11 pm seven days a week Résumé templates and builders Live unemployment benefits assistance from 3-9 pm Monday-Thursday Career assessment tools Interview tips and lots more |
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Virginia Libraries for the Blind and Visually Impaired
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According to the CDC, 4% of all Virginians have a vision impairment, and this number is forecasted to grow as the ability to detect reading/print impairments improves and as Virginians age. The ability of libraries to provide services to users with visual impairment is a vital piece in ensuring they can continue to learn and engage the world around them.
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To help address this need, the National Library Service of the Library of Congress (NLS) administers a free national library program that provides braille and recorded materials to people who cannot see regular print or handle print materials. Join Babak Zarin, Access Services Librarian at Central Rappahannock Regional Library to learn about this national library program - casually called “Talking Books”- and the resources it makes available for your disabled library users through Virginia’s NLS network libraries, including braille, ebraille, Talking Books, BARD mobile app, and more.
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| Access the Recording
| Niche Academy is open to all Virginia library staff members and library associates such as trustees and Friends board members. If you do not have a Niche Academy account, please use your library email address to sign up. If you do not have a library work email, you may register with a personal email, and we will contact you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library. |
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Opioid Crisis Support Kit for Public Libraries
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Like all government institutions, public libraries are dealing in various ways with the fallout from the opioid crisis. A recent study from VCU and VDH "revealed that nearly 150,000 people in Virginia had an opioid use disorder, 127% higher than 2020 estimates, with at least six Virginians dying of an opioid drug overdose every day on average."
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To help libraries navigate their way in this epidemic, Web Junction has created an Opioid Crisis Support Kit for Public Libraries. According to Web Junction, the kit offers "strategies, tools, and other resources to help libraries—including those in rural areas—as they determine their specific communities' needs and define the roles and activities their library is most suited to carry out. The kit will help libraries assess their staff strengths and capacity, identify key partners with whom to collaborate or coordinate, and plan and implement programming and services that support local needs."
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On May 16, 2024, Web Junction is offering a free webinar to learn more about the Opioid Crisis Support Kit as well as hearing from "library staff who participated in the early testing and who were able to implement new programs to meet local needs."
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Readers' Advisory Tips and Tricks
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Are Displays and Booklists Still Relevant? Yes! |
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For many readers, finding the right book among the seemingly endless shelves of library fiction or nonfiction sections can be a daunting task. And as much as we hope readers will come and ask us for help finding a great read, we all know that they often don't, for a variety of reasons.
This reluctance to ask for help with a reading question is where library book displays, reading lists, and bookmarks can make a real difference for your community of readers as well as for your circulation numbers. These tools can simplify the task of finding a good book, engage and advise readers who won’t approach a librarian, and give your library some personality. |
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Booklists and displays allow you to do a number of things, especially for readers whose busy schedules don't allow them much time to browse:
Emphasize books that may be hiding in your collection Draw connections beyond the Dewey system Show readers and community groups that you care about their interests Educate readers and staff about genres, themes, and authors Connect programming with the collection |
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Programs to Teach Adult Patrons
Internet and Media Literacy Skills |
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The ALA Public Programs Office has put together a useful article on ideas and resources for teaching internet and media literacy to adult library users. Topics covered include using book clubs, virtual programming, workshops, and community events to help users navigate a world that includes lots of misinformation.
You can also download a free programming guide Media Literacy for Adults: Architecture of the Internet. |
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Featured Virginia Programs
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Massanutten Regional Library
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Did you know that half of Virginia's bats are listed as endangered or threatened? Some of those imperiled species live in the Harrisonburg area, and some have been found downtown. Leslie Sturges of Bat Conservation & Rescue of Virginia joined us to share information about Harrisonburg's local bats and introduce an ambassador bat named Hickory!
Leslie used a camera so that everyone could see Hickory clearly without scaring him. During the program, she also showed a video of a bat that MRL staff had rescued from the Central branch being released into the wild after rehabilitation. This program was geared toward adults, but we also had some younger attendees. Everyone had a great time and learned a lot! |
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For more info, contact Kristin Noell, knoell@mrlib.org
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Handmade from the Heart is an annual program the Adult Programs Department puts on in partnership with a local senior center.
Patrons, especially those who are unable to easily visit a local library branch, are visited by Adult Programs staff where they can make a gift by hand for themselves or give to a loved one.
For 2023, Adult Programs staff brought our Candle Making Adult YOUmedia kit to a local senior center and assisted patrons with making a custom candle blend. We had over 20 participants, and all delighted in choosing among 85 fragrances, conversing with Adult Programs staff, and crafting their custom candles. |
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For more info, contact Michaela Francis, michaela.francis@norfolk.gov
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Recent articles on topics of interest to Adult Services |
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This newsletter is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is published by the Library of Virginia Library Development and Networking Division.
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